Data Access

How to Access TRMM & GPM Precipitation Data

Precipitation data from the GPM and TRMM missions is made available free to the public in a variety of formats from several sources at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. This section outlines the different types of data available, the levels of processing, the sources to download the data, and some helpful tips for utilizing precipitation data in your research.

TRMM & GPM Data Policy

TRMM and GPM data are freely available at all levels for which the particular sensor or sensor combination has been processed by GPM. For the GPM Core Observatory this is for Levels 0 through 3 products (as applicable). For the partner satellites in the GPM constellation this is Levels 1c through 3 (as applicable).

Users are encouraged to access data from the primary TRMM and GPM archives (i.e. nasa.gov domains at Goddard Space Flight Center). When data from secondary archives are used, it is incumbent on the user to verify that the data values accessed are accurate, up-to-date, current-version copies of the original data. Data format questions should be directed to the relevant archive site, while science questions should be sent to the dataset developers.

The data set source should be acknowledged when the data are used. A formal reference of the form:

Point of Contact

FAQ

Q: When will GPM data be made available? A: GPM project data sets, including the Core Observatory and constellation partner sensor data sets, have been released to the public and are available for download now (click here to see a table of GPM data products). The national data sets, including multi-satellite data sets, are being released in late November 2014. These initial releases will be for the GPM era (February 2014 to present). Subsequently, in Spring 2015 a general reprocessing will extend the record back to the start of the TRMM era (January 1998) for the parts of the data record.

NASA’s Level 3 Integrated Multi-Satellite Retrievals for GPM (IMERG) will be released in December 2014 with all available data. This gridded product will have a resolution of 0.1 degrees and updated every 30 minutes from 60⁰N-60⁰S.

Q: What is the spatial and temporal resolution of GPM data?A: The resolution of Level 0, 1, and 2 data is determined by the footprint size and observation interval of the sensors involved. Level 3 products are given a grid spacing that is driven by the typical footprint size of the input data sets. See the table of GPM & TRMM Data Downloads for details on the resolution of each specific product.

Q: Where can I find detailed documentation on the precipitation algorithms?A: Browse our tables of GPM & TRMM data downloads to locate your desired algorithm, then click on the link in the algorithm description that says “Full Documentation”.

Q: What will happen to the TRMM Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA / 3B42x) data products?
A: The transition from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) data products to the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission products has begun. The TMPA products will be replaced by the Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for GPM (IMERG) products. Click here for more details on this transition.

Q: What is the difference between "Production" (Prod) and "Realtime" (RT) data? A: GPM data products can be divided into two groups (real-time and production) depending on how soon they are created after the satellite collects the observations. For applications such as weather, flood, and crop forecasting that need precipitation estimates as soon as possible, real-time data products are most appropriate. GPM real-time products are generally available within a few hours of observation. For all other applications, production data products are generally best because additional or improved inputs are used to increase accuracy. These other inputs are only made available several days, or in some cases, several months, after the satellite observations are taken, giving time to do a more thorough collection of data or to do a more careful analysis.

In the case of data sets that have not been given DOI’s, the most persistent "landing page" should be named, for example,

http://disc.gsfc.nasa.gov/datacollection/3B42.V7.html .

As an “Acknowledgment”, one possible wording is:

"The <dataset name> data were provided by the NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center's <team's organization> and PPS, which develop and compute the <dataset name> as a contribution to <project (TRMM or GPM)>, and archived at the NASA GES DISC."

QUICK DATA LINKS

DATA UPDATES

The NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC) has recently added all of the half-hourly and monthly *Final* IMERG data variables to the next generation of Giovanni, Giovanni-4 (G4). Giovanni is a Web-based application...

TRMM/PR data distribution resumes during the experimental operation period. The satellite has descended to an altitude of around 350 km on February 12, 2015, which is the original nominal altitude before 2001. Verification of the data quality concluded...

On December 8, 2014 and December 10, 2014 the GPM MOC will conduct deep space calibrations maneuvers that will assist in physically verifying GMI calibration changes and also help in further characterization of the GMI instrument itself...